Isko Moreno’s presidential bid was hinged on two big bets that has gone nowhere
It may be unthinkable now, but up until September 2021, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso was seen as a possible standard bearer of the opposition for the 2022 presidential elections. Up to that point, Vice President Leni Robredo was not clear about running for president which prompted opposition-leaning personalities including the organizers of 1Sambayan to give Domagoso a serious look.
The month before, he joined the moribund Aksyon Demokratiko party founded by the late Senator Raul Roco to serve as his vehicle for the 2022 polls. The Yorme-for-president clamor also received additional hype given his verbal tussle with President Rodrigo Duterte and his officials.
However, just when everything already appeared to be all-set, Domagoso went on to commit a series of tactical errors. Number one is his decision to abruptly end unification talks with Robredo. At that time, Domagoso has a higher rating than Robredo which he could have used to his advantage by forging a ticket with Robredo as his VP. Instead, he went on to name the popular-but-untested Willie Ong as his running-mate. Domagoso then went on to suddenly make a U-turn and instead began to offer supportive words for Duterte – at one point even offering him a senatorial slot!
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